gut and virus
Microbiota

Can Gut Microbes Predict COVID-19 Severity?

A healthy gut microbiome might improve COVID-19 outcomes.

COVID-19 is notorious for striking harder at older patients, often landing them in bed, hooked up to a ventilator. Once that happens, the odds get grim: according to one report, only one in seven intubated patients survived. No one knows exactly why some patients are affected more than others, but a new study from China (that has not yet been peer-reviewed) makes a provocative assertion: the health of the gut microbiome may predict the severity of the disease. The healthier the gut, the better the outcome. That may be something to cheer about, because you can improve your microbiome in a matter of days just by changing your diet. It could save your life.

Scientists have started to realize that many of the chronic diseases of modern life are significantly associated with systemic inflammation and gut dysbiosis—a loose term that implies an unbalanced, unhealthy gut microbiome. Many of these inflammatory diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, are also associated with COVID-19 complications.

So how do you balance your gut microbiota? The best plan is to eat loads of veggies and fruit. But if you find it hard to get enough veggies and fruit into your diet, don’t despair. You can try prebiotic flavonoid extracts, like those in Clarity Prebiotic Blend. That can improve the resilience of your gut, and help you deal with the nasty intrusions of life like COVID.

Read more about COVID and the gut microbiota here.